Buyer Insights will tell you what recent buyers were thinking and doing as they spent money and time to solve problems that you address. Understanding what triggered a recent buyers search for a solution, what results they were looking to deliver, their perceived risks and barriers and the criteria that they used to choose a final solution will tell you a lot about how prospective buyers are likely to make their purchase decisions.

A marketing persona is a term that causes your salespeople to roll their eyes when they hear it. Why? Because they know that there is nothing captured in that persona that will actually help them influence their buyers purchase decision. A marketing persona is very good at predicting age, income, values, lifestyles and social interests of ideal prospects. If you sell exercise equipment, it may be helpful to know this information but It’s difficult to imagine how a marketing persona would persuade a CFO to improve their compliance practices. And do you really need a marketing persona to tell you that a CFO is risk averse?

“We did the customer persona exercise and frankly, I am not sure what the value is at the moment. If I were, to be honest, there was a lot of guessing going on in the room.”
Vice President, Solutions Marketing
Global Fintech Company

Whenever a new product or solution is introduced in a company, there will be a change in how people behave, communicate and work together. Change always creates a mess and those involved are going to get dirty. Until buyers are certain about what they will end up with, no purchase will happen.

Of course, you talk to your customers. And it should be no surprise that they’re happy to talk to you. They’ve just spent time and money selecting your company and solution and they want this relationship to work. They’re happy to follow along with your line of...

Your current #contentmarketing Strategy is perfectly focused on the 3% of marketing leads that are willing and able to buy - the #Sales ready lead.
For the other 97% your #content is useless. You need to teach these prospects how to buy not what to buy.
https://t.co/wZVQm7C41A

Sales reps and Marketers are from Mars, Buyers are from New Jersey (Bob Hoffman @AdContrarian ).
Reps are trying to uncover needs and qualify an opportunity while the buyer is trying to navigate through all the people, policies and departmental politics.

If you’re waiting for #marketing to generate #salesreadyleads you’re missing 96% of the opportunity sitting right front of your face. Marketing has brought you buyers that are willing to buy, #sales needs to help these prospects to recognize #HOWTOBUY. https://t.co/t7J90QirGK